The conference, which is expected to have 160-190 participants, will enable researchers from the United States and abroad to discuss recent developments and ideas regarding the molecular mechanisms of sensing and movement in simple bacterial systems. Scientific sessions will compare and contrast the sensory and locomotor systems of a variety of prokaryotes, focusing on each fundamental step in their signal transduction pathways: (a) transmembrane signaling by chemo- and photo-receptors; (b) signal transduction by intracellular phosphorelay cascades; (c) sensory control of cellular motility and gene expression; and (d) the mechanics of cell motility. The meeting format will include approximately 70 oral presentations and 80 posters, allowing virtually all laboratories working in this rapidly moving field to present their key findings. In previous years the meeting has provided an important forum for emerging concepts and generalizations concerning bacterial sensing and motility, and has presented the first molecular details concerning the structure and function of a family of signaling proteins that are pervasive in prokaryotic organisms and are now turning up in eukaryotic cells as well.
